The Final Refuge
by GamerGirl73
Summary: Ellie and Joel have come a long way, and have faced Peril at every corner. Now when they finally return to Jackson after their failed crusade they are finally living normal lives. But now both Ellie and Joel have their own personal demons to battle. Personal demons that threaten to destroy them both. In addition danger still lurks inside and outside the walls of this FINAL REFUGE.
1. Arrival

**Hi everyone! This is GamerGirl73. I should tell you a little bit about me before we begin. I am a 16 year old girl from Duluth Minnesota. I love to read stories, and I love writing them even more. I want to major in journalism or creative writing in college. The most important thing about me is that I am a _GREEK ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN_. My family however are not. They're all Atheists. I became a Christian when I was 14 years old.****While this will be a secular story it will have STRONG christian themes. Christianity is so near and dear to my heart that it influences everything about me including my writing. If you don't like that then just don't read it. The second most important thing about me is that I am a _LESBIAN_, and am very passionate about gay rights.** **Also in this story Ellie is a lesbian. I think that the game pretty much said this itself in the DLC. If you don't like that then don't read the story.**

**Finally this story is a slight AU. I have changed Tommy's community from being at the Dam to being in Jackson itself, and I have taken a lot of creative license where Jackson is concerned.**

**Also I have taken the liberty of expanding on Joel and Tommie's backgrounds. Most importantly in this story Joel is about sixty now. Before CBI he was married but his wife died four years before the outbreak. Joel used to be in the Delta Force for 12 years, but when his wife died his enlistment term was almost over and the army discharged him 3 weeks early to take care of Sarah. I think Joel having been in the Delta Force makes sense because it explains his extreme level of fighting, stealth, strategy etc. skills. His background in the Delta Force will BECOME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT later in the story. However the focus will actually be on Ellie.**

**This story will be about 50% dealing with the emotional trauma that Ellie and Joel, particularly Ellie have gone through. Consequently in parts it will be very dark.**

**Also there is a second half of the story that is entirely OC based that will eventually intersect with the first half.**

**Other than these changes and expansions its all canon.**

**_DEDICATION_**

**_Mr. Hoofman, this is for you._**

* * *

><p>"I gotcha kiddo." Joel reached his hand down to Ellie, and clasped her own much smaller hand in his large one. This instant in eternity was symbolic of all the time they had spent together, all that they had been through, all that they had survived, and all that they had done . . . It was the culmination of their journey but it wasn't an end. Rather it was the beginning. What was it the beginning of exactly? Ellie wasn't quite sure? Despite this she knew that whatever it was it would be good.<p>

Ellie crested the ridge, and then suddenly she saw it. The Citadel of Jackson. The City walls stretched for about one mile in either direction. Towers were spaced about every hundred feet. Militiamen patrolled the walls, carrying various types' firearms and other forms of weaponry. Ellie's gaze shifted to the town itself. Inside the walls she could see people moving about, scurrying from one thing to the next. Ellie thought she saw a man pushing a stroller, but she couldn't be sure at this distance. To the western side of the city Ellie saw what she thought might be a market of some kind. These buildings were in the best shape that she had ever seen, better even than the ones in Boston. They had most likely been restored she realized. The town gave off an air of safety and happiness. And that made Ellie happy.

But at the same time Ellie couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Not about the town, but rather about what Joel had told her on the car ride here. She had blacked out shortly before they reached the Fireflies and hadn't awoken until after they had left them. When she opened her eyes she felt highly disoriented and consequently everything Joel had told her felt muddled, and she had trouble recalling exactly what he had said. She knew though that he had said it turned out that there were lots of people like Ellie and that eventually the Fireflies had just given up looking for a cure. Ellie would have been ecstatic about this piece of information. If it were true. But Ellie didn't think it was. She wasn't exactly sure where in Joel's story the lie lay, but it was there. She knew that much.

And then Joel spoke shaking Ellie out of her thoughts. "Alright, come on."

Joel started to walk away down the slope towards Jackson. Ellie had to confront him now, or she knew that she never would. "Hey wait." Said Ellie. Joel turned around to face her, curious. Ellie had to take a deep breath to emotionally prepare herself before she continued. "Back in Boston, back when I was bitten . . ." Ellie couldn't bring herself to say this next bit but she knew she had too, so biting back tears she continued, "I wasn't alone. My girlfriend was there. And she got bit too. We didn't know what to do. So . . . she just says 'let's just wait it out. Y'know we can be all poetic and stuff and just lose our minds together.' I'm still waiting for my turn . . ."

Joel's face contorted into one of shock and horror, but also absolute understanding. "Ellie . . ." he said slowly and deliberately but also carefully.

Taking another deep breath Ellie continued, "Her name was Riley and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess. And then Sam."

"None of that is on you." Said Joel both lovingly but with just a hint of anger behind his words. The anger however was not directed at her.

"No you don't understand."

"I struggled for a long time with surviving. And you, no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. Now I know that's not what you want to here right now, but it's . . ."

"Swear to me!" Ellie suddenly blurted out her emotions nearly to the point of spiraling out of control. "Swear to me that everything, everything you said about the Fireflies is true."

Joel paused considering carefully before he said "I swear."

"Ok." Said Ellie softly.

And in that moment she had her answer. Joel had lied. She didn't know in what part of his story the lie lay. But it was there. That she was sure of. She didn't think he had lied maliciously, however. Joel would never do anything to hurt her. In fact his lie was most likely to protect her, even though it was actually causing her more pain than the truth would, or at least than she assumed it would. But of course Joel had no way of knowing that. Ellie also expected that on some level the lie was designed to protect Joel as well. Possibly the truth was too painful for him to think about, or at least for him to tell her. And Ellie cared deeply for Joel, just as he cared deeply for her. Because of this she would do her best to believe his lie in order to protect him, just as he had fabricated it to protect her.

They continued to walk down the steep slope that was the cliffs surrounding Jackson. Ellie picked her way along slowly, avoiding loose stones that could trip her. She stumbled once, but being used to traversing rough terrain as she was she did not fall and quickly regained her balance. Eventually they reached the highway that led to the city gates. This close to the citadel it left Ellie in an even greater sense of awe. The palisade walls were at least 30 feet high, possibly taller. They were undoubtedly thick to, as men patrolled them on unseen catwalks. Turrets jutted ten feet higher still. Rifles were mounted on some sections of the wall. Barbed wire covered the palisades to prevent enemies from scaling it. A trench surrounded the city, except for the gateway. There were other defenses too, both offensive and defensive.

"Wow . . ." Ellie whispered awestruck.

"It's somthin alright. Makes me feel all nostalgic for my days back in the Delta."

As they walked up to the gate to request entry, a man stepped up onto the raised section of the palisade directly over the gate. He pointed a rifle at Joel, and said "State your name and business. I won't hesitate to shoot you."

Ellie started to object but Joel silenced her with a look before saying, "My name is Joel. We've come to settle here." Joel motioned at Ellie to include her in his statement. "Tommy is my brother."

The man looked a little taken aback at that. He said something into a radio that he was carrying, before saying, "And who here is this?"

"Ellie." Said Joel. "My daughter."

Ellie began to open her mouth to object to this statement but the words died in her throat only partially formed. He was serious, she realized. Joel had never called her his daughter before, but suddenly she knew he was right. She was his daughter, even if not by blood. And he was her father. And then she realized that not only was he right but that she was glad that Joel was her father. She had never had family before, well except for Riley. This was a new feeling for her and it made her happy.

After a few moments Maria appeared at the top of the wall. She took one look at the two grim, beaten down and battle weary travelers at the citadel gate. "It's them. Let them in." she commanded. Suddenly the gate started to open, revealing the city inside.

The city itself seemed to vibrate and hum with life. People bustled back and forth across the streets, chatting, going about their own business without fear, without worry. There was a greater concentration of people here than Ellie had ever seen anywhere else in her entire life. At least 50 were in her immediate vicinity right there. Suddenly the smells of the city hit her and she recoiled just a step. "Wow." She whispered.

Joel started to walk through the gate, Ellie close behind him. A few seconds after passing through the steps Maria ran down the steps to greet them. "You made it Joel!" she exclaimed. "Tommy and I have been worried sick. You were expected back _months_ ago! What happened?"

Joel paused before saying, "There were . . . Complications . . . along the way."

"I see," said Maria. "I trust you will fill us in later." It was more a statement that a mere question.

"I suppose." Said Joel. "Where's Tommy?"

"He was at city hall when we got the message you arrived. He'll be here in a few minutes." Joel nodded, and then Maria suddenly realized she hadn't greeted Ellie yet, so she turned to the girl and said, "Hello Ellie. How have you been?"

"I'm fine, I guess." Maria looked suspicious at this answer but dropped the subject when she saw Tommy charging down the street to meet them.

And suddenly Joel found himself enveloped in an enormous bear hug.

"Cern ya let meh go? Yer smotherin me!" Joel managed to get out.

"Oh, sorry." Said Tommy, a little embarrassed. "Good to see ya again big brother. How you been?"

"Been better. Also been worse."

Then Tommy noticed Ellie. "How you been, Ellie?"

"I'm fine." Ellie lied quickly, but unlike Maria, Tommy didn't notice.

"Well that's good. Why don't I show you the house you will be staying at?"

"Sounds good." Said Joel.

"And you can tell us about how your crusade to find those fuckin Firef . . ."

"Tommy." Said Joel a little forcefully, giving him a look that told him to drop the subject. Tommy responded with his own look of _fine, but you're telling me later. _And then Tommy began to lead.

As they walked through the town Tommy started talking about the things they were passing. "There is one of the diners." Tommy informed them. "They're community run, and everything in them is free. You will be eating most of your meals there. Of course if you want to cook your own food that would be fine too, but there isn't much in your house yet."

Joel nodded, showing that he understood. "It's a mighty nice town you've established baby brother."

"I know." Came the reply. "We have been here for fourteen years. We have kids that have lived here their whole lives. On the other hand we have people like you, who come here having seen too much of the world. Oh and there is the church. You're welcome to attend Sunday service if you like."

"I can do that." Said Joel. "It's been too long since I went to a Sunday service."

"What about you Ellie?" inquired Tommy.

"I think I'll pass." Said the small girl just a hint of venom in her words.

"Suit yourself. Jesus will wait, but he won't wait forever."

Joel groaned at this, "Still the Bible pounder, I see. You know that turns people off."

Tommy ignored this comment. Changing the subject Ellie asked "How do you defend this place?"

Well said Tommy, "You saw the walls, forty feet tall, eighteen feet thick. Covered in barbed wire. Mounted guns, trenches, turrets. We have other defenses too. Underneath that hay in the trenches are iron nails that are about six inches in length. Only the main gate is accessible. If we ever need it we have a secret way out of the city to allow us to mount a counter attack. Inside the walls there are barracks that house our militia. We have about 300 full time soldiers and every other able bodied adult rotates out for militia duty, allowing us to maintain a force of about one thousand. We have wells inside the city, as well as farms. This prevents our food and water supplies from being cut off in the unlikely event of a siege by the United States Military."

"This place sounds pretty secure." Said Joel, scratching his bearded chin thoughtfully.

"Over there is the armory." Said Tommy pointing at a large building to their left. "Oh, here we are." Said Tommy pointing at a house directly in front of them. The house was painted a greenish blue color, and had a purple roof. It was two stories tall, and the arched roof probably contained an attic. The house all had a large yard in front of it.

"This is for us?" her voice filled with joyous disbelief.

"Yes it is." Tommy told her amused. When you left back last October we started to refurbish it for you for when you came back. Go on, take a look inside." Tommy handed Joel a key. "The doors locked right now." Joel started to take a step forward, but Tommy stopped him to say, "There is a party this evening. It is the 14th anniversary of the founding of this settlement today. I'd like you two to come and be our guests of honor. What dya say?

"Sure. I think we could make it. That alright with you Ellie?"

Ellie nodded. "Good, it's settled then." Said Tommy. After that he walked away, but before he got very far he said, "I'll come and get you when it is time." And with that he walked away.

Tommy now gone, Joel put the key in the lock and swung open the door.

Ellie gasped when she saw the interior. The door opened directly into the kitchen. The kitchen had a polished tile floor, and nice, clean countertops, that had no scratches or anything that could be seen as a defect. The kitchen also had cabinets that from the ceiling and drawers in the counters. Then Ellie saw a strange looking device on the counter top. It was tall and cylindrical and had buttons and some kind od receptacle at the bottom. "Joel what the fuck is that thing?" Ellie asked curiously.

When Joel saw what she was pointing he gasped in astonishment. "It's a COFFEE MAKER. I haven't had a cup of coffee in twenty years." Then Joel and Ellie continued to explore their house, and ventured into the living room. The living room they found had large windows, but was capable of having shudders pulled over them. It also had a door to the backyard. The carpets were a soft shade of blue, and not rotten at all. By the windows was a large couch navy blue couch.

Upon seeing it Ellie collapsed onto it, and stretched her legs out. "Oh, this is so nice! I've never felt anything this good." Ellie sighed contentedly. "Can I stay on this couch for like forever?"

"Actually we should find our bedrooms and put our things in them."

"Oh fine!" said Ellie irritably. Eventually they found their bedrooms on the upstairs floor. In fact the house had five bedrooms so they got to choose the ones that they wanted. Eventually Ellie settled on a small bedroom, right next to the larger one that Joel chose. Ellie dropped her backpack on her already made bed. Then she went into her backpack and took out Riley's Firefly pendant and put it in her pocket. Riley had been a firefly for just over forty-six days but had been insanely dedicated to the cause. Then Ellie took off her boots to let her feet rest, and she did the same with gloves. However she left her Berretta in it holster, and left her holster around her waist. And then she walked over to where Joel stood in his room, performing the same process except that he left his guns too.

"Joel I am going to go and take a nap on the couch."

"I'll come downstairs too."

Upon reaching the couch Ellie once again collapsed on it, stretching her legs out. "Move your feet." Said Joel and Ellie did as commanded. Once Joel had sat down she put her feet on his lap. "Joel, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Did you mean what you said? About me being your daughter?"

"Of course I meant it." Said Joel.

"Good." Said Ellie contentedly. And then she fell asleep leaving Joel alone with his own thoughts.

At first his thoughts were dominated by what lay ahead. This Citadel, offered a chance at a new life for both of them. A life he thought he'd lost twenty-one years earlier. And now to suddenly have the opportunity to live like again, it felt too good to be true, even though he knew it was true. He smiled as he thought about how he had been given a second chance to raise a child, in a normal environment. Ellie would never replace Sarah, nor did he want her too. But Ellie could help to fill the whole in his heart left by Sarah's death.

And this brought his thoughts to Sarah and his life before CBI. Sarah had been born when he was twenty-six. His wife was 21 at the time. Joel had been currently serving as a Sergeant in the United States Army 1st Special-Forces-Operational-Detachment-DELTA, more commonly known as the Delta Force Tier one, or simply the Delta Force. Joel had been in Afghanistan when Sarah was born, something that troubled him at the time. He had taken leave as soon as he was able. Fortunately Colonel Hoofman had been understanding and granted him the leave he requested. Joel had stayed in the Delta force for another nine years, until his wife died in a public shooting and he was granted an honorable discharge to raise his daughter. That was three years before CBI.

Eventually Joel's thoughts Drifted in other directions and eventually he like Ellie fell asleep. Ellie awoke to the sound of someone pounding at the door. Groaning she stood up and walked to their front door. It was early evening, she could see. Ellie opened the door and saw Tommy and Maria standing on their stoop. "Hi Ellie. It's time for the party." At that moment Joel appeared beside Ellie.

"Just let us get our things together, and we'll come on down." Joel stated.


	2. That Which Makes Us Human: Part 1

_**Chapter 2: That Which Makes Us Human Part 1**_

The walk to the party took about five minutes, and Ellie found it interesting getting to see more of the town. Eventually they rounded the bend, and they came face to face with the party. Ellie let out a small gasp. There were at least three thousand people gathered in the city square.

"I've never seen this many people in one place before."

"You'll get used to it." Maria told her. "Now go and enjoy the party! Foods over there." Maria said pointing. "And don't forget to talk to people! You're the guests of honor after all, and everyone wants to meet you!"

Joel grabbed Ellie by the arm. "Come on Ellie. Let's go and get something to eat." He began to lead her away to the food tables. It took some weaving in and out of crowds to get to the food tables. Occasionally Joel would mutter an apology when he bumped into someone. Eventually they reached the banquet tables. Crockpots covered one table, salads another, pasta another, misc. foods another, and deserts still covered a fifth table. "Now, be careful how much you eat." Said Joel. "You've been half starved for over a year, and eating much will just make you sick."

"Okay." Said Ellie. She knew Joel was right because just the smell of the food made her feel ill. "Don't worry Joel. I'm not that excited about eating anyway. Just the smell of some of this food makes me want to puke."

"Now you should eat somthin though." Joel ordered. "Make sure it's bland though, or you will really have trouble sleepin tonight."

"Okay." Said Ellie picking up a plate and putting some food on it. "Hey Joel, I think I need some time alone to just think. I'm going to go sit down."

"Alright. If you need me I'll be talking to my brother."

Ellie walked as far away from people as she could, before finding a bench to sit on. Now that she was alone to think, her thoughts drifted back to everything that had happened to her over the year and a half. She started with the more recent memories. She started with waking up in an SUV three weeks before arriving at Jackson, wearing a hospital gown. She remembered Joel telling her his story, which under the effects of anesthesia as she was, she had believed in the immediate. Now she knew that it was a lie, or at least a half truth, or perhaps a partial truth. Then her memories dialed back to Joel's injury when he was pierced by that rusty iron spike, and the next two months where she was essentially on her own fighting a desperate and losing battle to save Joel's life. This memory culminated in the battle with the Sadistic David, and his clan of hunters. The man had wanted to EAT her, and had eaten other people in FRONT of her. She was also suspicious that he fed her human meat but she had no way of knowing for sure. And the fucking bastard son of a bitch motherfuckin cannibal had raped her multiple times over that period of 3 days that she was trapped with him. Eventually she had managed to escape, and had killed at least thirty of his men, before a final showdown with David in a burning building where she had killed him with his own machete. Then her thoughts rewound to the deaths of Henry and Sam, a pair of brothers whom she and Joel had befriended before Sam had gotten infected and Henry's subsequent suicide. Finally Ellie's thoughts turned to Riley, her girlfriend. Riley had been the only person who had always been there for her, no matter what happened. When they had been bitten they decided to just wait it out because there was nothing either of them could do about it. But Ellie never turned. Ellie didn't. But Riley did. Riley had then attacked Ellie, and Ellie was forced to kill her. Ellie had killed the one of the only two people she had ever cared about. The only person who had ever loved her. She had stabbed to death the one person she had ever been in love with. Riley's death was her fault . . .

Suddenly a girl's voice pulled her from brooding. "Hey, what is that?" Ellie looked up and realized there was a girl standing about six feet from her. She also realized that she had inadvertently begun clutching Riley's Firefly Pendant.

"Nothing. It's personal." Said Ellie quickly, putting it back in her pocket.

"Oh." Came the reply. "Mind if I join you?"

"That fine. I won't be much of a talker though."

The girl sat down about two feet away from Ellie. She had long black hair, and large blue eyes was probably four inches taller than Ellie, who was only 4/11. She was obviously of Asian heritage. At least partly. "My names Lily, by the way."

"I'm Ellie." She grunted.

"You know, it's nice to have someone come through town who I can be friends with."

"Thanks," said Ellie but there are lots of people here, surely some of them are our age.

It took Lily a moment to reply. "Oh there are probably a couple hundred kids our age here. It's just that I'm kind of a loner. But you seem like a kind person, and I get the sense that you're a social recluse too. It makes me feel safer talking to you."

"Thanks." Said Ellie, although it was largely just to be polite.

"And you seem very relatable to me." Inwardly Ellie thought, _the things I've been through, the stuff that's been done to me, the stuff I've done. I doubt we have anything to relate about at all. _Outwardly Ellie said, "I doubt it."

"You shouldn't say that. I'm quite sure there are things we have in common. Like we . . ."

Ellie cut her off, "No, I don't think there is."

"Ellie I know there are things we have in common. Like we . . ." Now Ellie was becoming seriously annoyed by this girl, who just wouldn't leave.

"Have you ever killed someone?" Ellie snapped bitterly cutting the girl off midsentence.

Lily was taken aback by this question. It seemed strange for one young teenager to ask another young teenager this question. "No, of course not. We're just kids after all."

"I fucking have." Snapped Ellie.

"Really?" asked Lily. If Ellie were telling the truth, she felt bad for her having to go through that.

"Lots of times."

Lily was still hopeful that they could find something they had in common. "Well that's just one thing. I'm sure we can find something else."

"Do you remember your parents?"

"Yeah of course. My Dad's right over there. My Mom died when I was four though."

"Well I haven't," snapped Ellie bitterly. "I was left in a goddamned FEDRA orphanage when I was FOUR FUCKING DAYS OLD!"

"That's awful." Said Lily.

But Ellie wasn't done yelling yet. "I have been through a lot shit and my life, and very little non-shit has ever happened to me. My parents were both DEAD by the time I was one fucking week old! I grew up in a FUCKING FEDRA ORPHONAGE! Nearly every person I have EVER cared about has either DIED or LEFT ME. I've killed people. I've nearly been killed myself. I was raped by a FUCKING CANNIBAL! In fact I've even been SHOT once." Ellie didn't realize that her voice was becoming increasingly hostile with every word that she spoke. "So don't fucking try to say that we have things in common. BECAUSE WE DON'T!"

Suddenly, Ellie realized what she said, and that Lily was crying. "Lily I'm sorry. I didn't,"

"No," said Lily facing the other direction. "You were right. We have nothing. I was stupid to think otherwise." Lily began to walk away heading back to the rest of the party now.

"Lily, please hear me out." Lily kept walking. Ellie called out after her "No, please Lily. Please give me a second chance."

Lily spun around on her heels.

"Umm. . ." Ellie stammered. "You should give me a second chance because I really am sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. Yes I've been through a lot of really awful shit in my life, and it makes me say stuff I shouldn't. But that doesn't excuse what I said. It just means I have to watch what comes out of my mouth even harder. And we can be friends. Sure we have led entirely different lives, but that isn't insurmountable. And if you are willing to give me a shot at being your friend, I would be happy you give you a shot at being mine too and . . ."

"Just stop." Lily said. "I am willing to accept your apology and try being friends with you." said Lily with an evident sigh of relief.

"Thank you. By the way I lied, in a way. Everything I said was true. But I do have a father. I'm adopted, although I never met him until last year, and I only realized he was my father today."

"Oh," said Lily interested. "Ellie is it true when you said you that you've killed lots of people?"

"Yes." Said Ellie. "I don't carry a berretta for nothing." Said Ellie pointing at the gun at her hip.

"Do you think I'll ever have to kill someone?" asked Lily, genuinely concerned, and upset at the idea.

To this Ellie responded simply, "For your sake, I hope not."

" /*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-

Ellie and Joel returned to their house around 11 o'clock that night. Joel slipped his key into the lock and they entered their spacious house. After entering his bedroom and Ellie went to another one down the hall and he had settled into bed Joel fell asleep almost immediately. The dreams started almost immediately. His mind sunk deep into the past, before the infection and Sarah's death, before his wife's death even all the way back to Afghanistan in 2002, the first time Joel had ever taken another man's life.

Joel ducked for cover he bullets hissed over his head dodging them by only a few inches. Joel and his fellow soldiers were pinned down in a fierce firefight. The Taliban had ambushed them just outside of Kabul, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. "Don't let them reach the VIP!" shouted Lieutenant Anderson, referring to the American diplomat they were escorting to an undisclosed location for reasons Joel wasn't privy to. "If he dies the colonel will have our heads!"

"Don't worry" Joel shouted straining to speak loud enough over the gunfire. Inside Joel wasn't so sure. He was fresh out of advanced training and the newest member of the Delta force. He had no combat experience whatsoever. The closest he had come to killing a person was shooting rabbits back on the ranch in Texas. No he wasn't sure at all. He was terrified inside. Terrified that he would die and never see his wife again. At the same time he wasn't sure he could shoot someone even if it was to save his own life.

Bam! "aough" someone shouted in pain behind him. Doing a 180 Joel saw a Taliban insurgent lying in a pool of his own blood a sword in his hand two feet away from Joel and SSGT Johnson standing behind him the barrel of his pistol smoking.

"You owe me one" said the sergeant before returning to the battle at hand and running to the other side of the motorcade.

That's when Joel saw it. A lone Taliban assassin armed with a sniper rifle and an AK-47. Then looking to the left of the assassin Joel noticed another sniper. Then he saw 2 more, one of whom armed with an RPG. Joel saw something equally terrifying. The motorcade was heading for an IED, and there was no way to avoid it. They were trapped. One of the sniper's let loose a round. It tore through Lieutenant Andersons Skull just below his helmet, killing him instantly. That was when Joel realized, they were outgunned, outmanned and outmaneuvered. This wasn't just an ambush. It was a death trap and he was the only one who could save them for no one else knew what he did. He had to find Colonel Hoofman, the last officer they had left and tell him, and he had to do it quickly. Just then Joel sensed a threat behind him so turned around and found himself looking down the barrel of a Mujahedeen's AK-47. Time slowed down, Joel immediately ducked, grabbed the guns barrel, twisted and rammed his knee into the man's scrotum all in one fluid motion taking less than one 12,000th of a second. Joel reacting on shear instinct began to pull the trigger on his M16 but hesitated. Could he do this? Should he do this? These thoughts and more crossed his mind in that instant. Finally acting on instinct he squeezed the trigger. The man's chest erupted in blood. Joel ran to find Colonel Hoofman. Five minutes later he was telling him about the other passage. Six minutes later he fainted from exhaustion.

Joel woke up sweating. That memory had been haunting him for years and he didn't think that it would ever stop. Killing a man for the first time was never easy and once you had done it you could never go back. Something changed about the very fiber of your being. Joel was a devout Baptist and always had believed that a person who had taken another man's life even for the noblest of reasons would have heaven diminished for them in some way, presuming they went to heaven at all. Taking another human beings life deteriorated the very soul he thought. The more you did it the less human you became. And Joel had killed hundreds upon hundreds of people. Where did that leave him?

A knock on the door took Joel from his thoughts. "Joel?" Ellie whispered from behind a slightly open door.

"What is it?" Joel asked wearily, although he knew perfectly well what it was.

"I had a nightmare and I'm scared." Ellie said softly. "Can I sleep in here with you?"

"Sure thing baby girl." he said sleepily.

Ellie crawled in beside him. Once again they had dreams. But this time they were good ones.


	3. That Which Makes Us Human: Part 2

**Chapter 2: That Which Makes Us Human Part 2**

Bang! Bang! Bang! Joel awoke the next morning to the sound of nocking at the door. _Who's knocking at this time of morning, w_ondered Joel. Bang! Bang! Bang! Groggily standing up, Joel fumbled around in his backpack for a shirt. Finding one he slipped it on. It wasn't clean, but then again nothing he owned was, including himself. Bang! Bang! Bang! Slightly exasperated Joel nearly shouted, "I'm coming!"

Arriving at the door Joel opened it, and found Tommy standing on his stoop. "Morning Joel."

"Tommy, what are you doing here?"

"Maria suggested we get an early breakfast at the little café down town and that then I should give you n' Ellie the grand tour. How that sound to you?"

"Fine, I guess, but I don't think Ellie is even up yet. So it might be a few minutes."

"I can wait."

"Good, I'll go rouse sleepin beauty."

"No you won't. I'm already up," said Ellie appearing behind Joel. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Well then let's get a move on," said Joel. "Lead the way Tommy."

/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-

After eating breakfast at the cafe, their first stop was the stables. The stables were large and were probably capable of holding a hundred horses. The building was made from dark oak, and it looked rugged like something you might have seen constructed from medieval technology. It obviously was a new addition to the city, since its resettlement. Tommy introduced them to the stable master. "This is Jim Buckley," said Tommy. "He is our stable master, and in charge of breeding and caring for all our horses." Jim Buckley looked to be an older man, possibly as old as seventy. He had a long white beard, and thinning grey hair. He wore a brown T-shirt, and blue Jeans. He obviously liked his job, as he wore a crooked smile on his face.

"Jim, this is Joel, my brother. And Ellie, my," Tommy paused not quite sure how to define his relationship to Ellie.

Joel finished for him, "She's his niece."

"Well, nice to meet you two," said Jim Buckley extending a hand in greetings. Joel took his hand and shook it, firmly the way men do when they are testing the others masculinity. And then Jim turned to Ellie and shook her hand too. "Nice to meet you too Ellie."

"Nice to meet you too Jim," said Ellie. "Some mighty fine horses ya got here. Do you think I could ride one sometime?"

Jim chuckled at this question, and said, "Sure you can. Long as you promise not to steal him . . ."

"Oh," Ellie began sheepishly, remembering the prior fall when she had run off with one of his horses. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was not thinking at the time . . ."

"Pology, accepted," said Jim jovially. "Of course you can ride my horses. They're for the community after all, and your part of the community now. By the way whatever happened to Jack?"

"Jack?" Joel inquired.

"The horse Tommy lent you two last fall."

"Oh, Callus!" said Ellie understanding.

"I really hate that name." muttered Joel.

"It's kinda a long story, but he didn't make it," said Ellie.

"Oh. That's a pity. He was a good horse."

"I'll let you get back to what you were doing now," said Tommy.

/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-

The tour progressed and they met twelve more people, all of whom were important to the running of the town. The last person that they met was the town doctor. He had a clinic not far from city hall and took care of everyone who was ill or injured. Tommy said he was eighty one years old, and because of his age, had taken on his granddaughter Danielle as an apprentice of sorts so that the town would not be without a doctor when he died. The clinic was in a large house that had room to keep several patients for extended periods if necessary. When they walked in the front door the first thing they saw was a girl probably fifteen years of age sitting in the waiting room. She was drawing in a notebook. "Hey Danielle," said Tommy. "Where is your grandfather?"

"My Grandpa's giving somebody some stitches. He'll be done in a few minutes probably."

"Oh, I want to see him when he is done." And then as an afterthought Tommy added, "Oh, and Ellie this is Danielle. Danielle this is Ellie."

"Nice, to meet you," said Danielle extending her hand to shake Ellie's.

"You too," sid Ellie.

"You're new here, right?" said Danielle. "I think I heard you arrived yesterday."

"You heard right," Ellie told her. "Whatcha drawing."

"A squirrel," said Danielle, holding up her picture for Ellie to see. "He is stashing acorns for the winter."

"Nice. You're a really good artist if this picture is anything to go by." Ellie complimented the girl.

"Oh, I think you will find this picture is very representative of her usual work. Danielle is quite the artist." Tommy informed them.

"Looks Like somthin Sarah woulda drawn," said Joel quietly. At just that minute, Danielle's grandfather came out of a side room, with a twelvish looking boy at his side. "There you go, Jonny. But be more careful next time," he added exasperatedly.

"I will be," said Jonny before rushing out the clinic door.

"Third time this month he's been in here," muttered the doctor. Then he seemed to notice Tommy, Ellie and Joel standing in the waiting room. "Hello, Tommy. What're you doing here and who are they?" he asked, gesturing to Ellie and Joel.

"These are the new arrivals from last night. This here is my brother Joel," said Tommy, and then gesturing to Ellie, he said, "and that's his daughter, Ellie."

"Nice to meet you Joel. And you too Ellie. My name's Dr. Nathan Fletcher. Coincidently, making handcrafted bows and arrows is a hobby of mine." He added the last bit chuckling a little.

"Dr. Fletcher is our town's only doctor. Back before the CBI outbreak, he worked as a psychiatrist, but he also has specialties in trauma and infectious disease. If you need medical treatment, rest assured you will be in good hands."

"For more basic things, I may have my granddaughter treat you. She needs practice. I am teaching her so that the Jackson will still have a doctor when I die. Oh, by the way, we'll have to do your physicals soon."

"Physicals?" asked Joel.

"It's standard practice," Tommy answered. "Everyone gets a physical when they arrive at Jackson. So many people are sick or injured when they get here, and this policy has saved people from dying of things such as malnutrition."

"Makes sense" said Joel. "How bout next week?"

"Sounds good." Replied Dr. Fletcher.

At that moment someone rushed in, "Dr. Fletcher," they gasped out of breath. "it's Charlie, I think he has the pneumonia!" said the distressed women, a baby in her arms.

"I'll let you get back to your work then, Nathan." Said Tommy as he led his niece and older brother out the door.

/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-

Four days later, Lily and Ellie were sitting next to each other on Ellie's couch. Joel was out spending the day with a new friend he had made, and not wanting to be alone all day, Ellie had invited her new friend over to hang out, and just chat. For the last twenty minutes they had been doing very little other than drinking cold apple cider and relaxing on the plushy couch.

"Ellie, can I ask you a personal question?"

After considering for a moment, Ellie answered, "Sure I guess so. What is the question?"

"This might upset you." Lily warned.

"What is your question?"

Lily hesitated for a moment, not sure whether she should plow on ahead, but quickly decided to just ask the question. "What is it like, Ellie? What is it like to kill a person?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I like you Ellie. I like you a lot, but you baffle me. One minute you are cheerful and sweet natured and then the next are sobbing or yelling for no apparent reason. I've known you for less than a week, and yet this has already happened five times, including the night we met. I am trying to make sense of who you are, and what your life has been like so I'll be able to understand things about you, this included, because when you said that we had nothing in common you were absolutely spot on. If you don't want to answer, I understand and I won't bring it up again."

"I had been hoping it was a reason I could say no to, but I suppose I had better answer you," Ellie sighed. "The first time I took another human's life was around eighteen months ago. I was fourteen then. Joel had been overpowered by a hunter and lost grip of his pistol. The hunter had forced his head under water and was trying to drown him. I grabbed Joel's pistol and shot the man. I had no choice. If I hadn't of Joel would have died and me too most likely. It was one of the three most sickening things I've ever done in all my life. I vomited several times in the next few hours and felt nauseated for days. At the same time, I emotionally felt like I was going to implode. I felt huge feelings of guilt for a long time afterwards. The instant I pulled that trigger I lost something. Some people would say I lost my innocence . . ." Ellie sighed, "But I would say I lost something more than that. I think I lost a little bit of my humanity as well. The next time is easier, and every time after that is easier still. Now I can kill without hesitation or remorse. And I hate this about myself. Its disgusting, in its way." Ellie sighed. "Does that answer your question?"

"I guess so, but can I ask another?"

"Fine, but this is the last one for a while."

"You said you can kill without hesitation or remorse. Could you kill me?"

"Yes." Ellie said almost in a whisper. "I won't, but yes, I could."

Oh." Lily said. "That wasn't the answer I was hoping for."

Finally, Ellie stood up and said, "Well, we need to lighten the mood a little bit."

"What?" Lily asked.

Ignoring her, Ellie pulled out the Joke book she had kept with her at all times for over a year. Ellie flipped through the pages until she found a joke that she liked. "Okay, here goes." said Ellie. "What did the cow say to the philosopher?" Ellie began to grin with anticipation while letting the suspense build. "The cow said 'Your point is moooot!'" Ellie burst out laughing.

"Okay, that joke was just plain stupid!" said Lily even though she too was giggling. Then Lily asked a question that caught Ellie entirely off guard. "Ellie, you always carry that joke book everywhere you go like it's the most important thing in the world. And you never let anyone else touch it. Why is that?"

Ellie stopped smiling instantaneously. "Didn't I say no more questions?" Ellie snapped angrily.

"Yeah but that was harmless." stammered Lily, taken aback by the anger in Ellie's voice. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Yeah, well, you fucking did."

"Would it help if I said that I'm sorry?"

"No, it would not."

"Well, I am sorry anyway."

"Why don't you just fucking leave!"

"Fine," said Lily, realizing that staying would just make the situation worse. She proceeded to stand and walk out the door. After she was sure she was out of earshot she groaned to herself, "Why is it that the first person my age who I feel comfortable talking to, has to be emotionally unstable?"

/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-

Ellie was now alone. Her thoughts drifted back to the person that gave her that joke book. A person who mattered more to than her than any other person she had ever known, even more than Joel. A person who had been dead for over a year. Her thought drifted back to Riley. Riley had been her first love, her first adult love. It had been more than the simple crush of a fourteen year old. She and Riley had known each other for years. They had met at the military boarding school that they both grew up in. Of course their love for each other had started out as a simple crush but it had grown into more than that. When Riley was fifteen, she had asked Ellie out for the first time. They dated for a year before Riley disappeared only to reappear in Ellie's dorm in the middle of the night forty six days later. Riley had revealed to Ellie that she was now a firefly, something she had aspired to be for years. Riley had convinced Ellie to go on a sort of impromptu date to the abandoned old mall in the Quarantine Zone where Riley had said she had a surprise for Ellie. That was when Ellie got the joke book. Riley had given it to her. Then Riley had revealed to Ellie that this wasn't a homecoming, but rather a goodbye, because as a firefly seeing her put Ellie in too much danger. They had also danced and shared a kiss. But then the infected had shown up and chased them. Ellie and Riley managed to escape the mall, but they had both been bitten. They agreed to just wait it out because there was nothing else they could do. Riley turned after twelve hours and when she didn't, she had been forced to kill Riley, or at least Riley's body in self-defense. Ellie didn't think Riley the person was actually in there anymore. If she had thought so she wouldn't have been able to do it. This was the greatest grief in her entire life and still haunted her every day. No one knew all this. Not even Joel. Ellie sure as hell was not going to tell Lily who she had only known for six days.

/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-

Joel came in through the front door and entered the kitchen. "Ellie, I'm home." He shouted. Then Joel entered the living room and found Ellie sobbing and holding a photo he had never seen in her hands. The photo was a picture of Ellie and some African American girl that he had never seen. "Ellie, are you alright?" Joel asked, concerned. "And where is Lily?" Ellie didn't respond. He wasn't even sure she had heard him or if she aware that he was home. Finally she glanced in his direction and he realized just how upset she was. Not only was she wailing with tears streaming down her face, she had a look of anguish and sadness so deep that he knew what was going on. He had been a soldier long enough to recognize this. He had only personally experienced this level of grief twice in his life. The day his wife died and the day his daughter died. "Who was it?" he asked more gently than ever.

It was about a minute before Ellie responded." R-Ri-Riley" Ellie stammered between wails. Joel sat down next to her. He had only learned of Riley recently. Ellie had first mentioned her name twelve days earlier shortly before they entered Jackson. Joel knew Ellie had been deeply in love with Riley and that it was a love Riley returned 100% of the way. Joel knew they had dated for about about a year. He also knew that when Ellie was bitten, Riley was there and had been bitten too. Obviously unlike Ellie, Riley wasn't immune and had turned. This was all that Joel knew about Riley. Joel, a deeply devout Baptist had serious reservations about homosexuality. He had known Ellie was a lesbian for a long time and was uncomfortable with it, but because he cared greatly for her he tried very hard to accept it at least in her case. He knew that right now certainly was not the time to bring this up.

"She was very beautiful." said Joel. "I'm sure she loved you very much." Ellie just sniffled and kept crying without looking up.

A minute went by before Ellie responded "Sh-she did. She was the kindest person I've ever met. She always was there for me. And now she is fucking gone! I miss her so much."

"She isn't gone, Ellie. A part of her will always be with you. And now the best thing you can do is live as good of a life as possible to honor her memory."

"Do you really think she is still with me?" asked Ellie.

"I do. And I think she still loves you very much and is watching over you."

Ellie began to brighten up a bit. "I hope so." she said.

/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-

The next day Joel was taking a walk around town, enjoying the beautiful spring weather. He heard someone approaching him from behind and he turned around to face her. It was Lily. "Joel, can I talk to you about something?" she asked.

"Sure, what is it?" Joel asked, although he suspected that he already knew what it was.

"Ellie and I were hanging out yesterday. We were having a really great time when all of a sudden she blew up and kicked me out. I was wondering if you knew if I caused it, and how I could go about apologizing, and if I didn't cause it, if you knew what else did."

"You'll need to tell me exactly what happened." replied Joel.

"Well, basically we were just talking and Ellie told a joke from that joke book she always carries around. We both laughed a little and then I asked her why she always carries that joke book around like it is so important to her and why she never lets me or anyone else touch it. Then she literally exploded and kicked me out."

"Well," Joel said "seeing as I wasn't there I can't say for sure, but I do have an idea of what probably happened."

"What do you think happened?" asked Lily.

"When I got home Ellie was sobbing, wailing actually. The look on her face was one of the saddest that I have ever seen. In her hands she was holding a picture. It was a picture of a girl named Riley. Ellie was, deeply, deeply, in love with this girl, and this girl returned that love. Riley died shortly before I met Ellie, although I don't know the details so don't ask for them. I think Ellie very much blames herself for Riley's death. If I had to take a gander I would guess that Riley gave Ellie that joke book, possibly shortly before she died. When you asked Ellie about it, it probably brought back some bad, very bad, unfathomably awful, memories."

"Oh." said Lily. "Now I feel bad. Do you think I should apologize? Or would it be better to just let things cool down over time."

"Don't feel bad. You had no idea that it would upset her. And I think trying to apologize wouldn't hurt. Apologizing never does. Just don't be surprised if she won't accept your apology, or if she doesn't want to see you again for a while."

"Okay." Lily said. "Can I ask you another question Joel?"

"Sure I guess." he replied. "What is it?"

"I don't mean to offend you by asking this, but Ellie has very rapid, and very strong mood swings at times for no apparent reason. Frankly she seems kinda unstable. I was wondering if you knew why this was and what I can do to avoid it."

"Lily, Ellie has had more trauma and loss and heartbreak in fifteen years than most adults go through in their entire lives. Ellie has something called post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD for short. I have it myself; I have just had longer to learn to deal with it. PTSD is actually a form of mental illness. By this, I do not mean that Ellie is insane. PTSD is formed as a result of an extremely traumatic event, which Ellie has experienced lots of. It occurs when the subconscious part of the brain is trying and failing to process and deal with the traumatic event or experience. This is very common among soldiers, or anyone who has killed another person, which Ellie has done many, many times. This, however, is only a small portion of the trauma she has been through and definitely not the worst of it. This makes Ellie, or anyone with it mildly to extremely unstable depending on how severe the PTSD is. Ellie's case is on the very severe side of things although probably not as bad as it can get. Because of this, talking to her is like walking through a minefield. There a is nearly infinite number of things that can trigger a swift and rapid and extreme mood change, but they are seemingly random and there is no way to tell what will cause one until it has already happened. Because of this there is really no way no avoid setting her off."

"Oh. Is there anything I can do to help her?" Lily asked.

"Absolutely. Just keep being a great friend to her and bear with her, and if she yells at you or is rude, or hurts your feelings or kicks you out of the house or tells you she hates you, know that it isn't your fault, that she doesn't mean it even if she thinks she does in the moment. Most importantly just continue being a great friend for her. She once told me that 'every person she had ever cared about had either died or left her except for me.' You can be a second person to not do this. She needs friends and constants in her life more than anything. She needs familiarity and to know that the people around her love her very much and will always accept her no matter how horrible and ungrateful she is to you in return. The most important thing you can do for her is to accept her and be her friend, no matter what."

"Okay." said Lily. "I'll do that."


	4. Forgiveness (sort of)

Later that day Lily went to find Ellie so that she could apologize. She glad to have talked to Joel. Lily had questioned Joel a bit on his daughter's background and to Lily's shock, he had backed up everything Ellie had told her. He couldn't have just been going along with what Ellie said, because much of it he was not aware Ellie had told her. Not only did he confirm what she already had been told, but he added to it. The things Ellie had been through were so horrible she could scarcely imagine them. She had suffered so much, and so much evil had been done to her. It was as if Ellie's very being had been mutilated. It relieved her to know that Ellie really was a kind and sweet natured person at heart, but that she had just seen too much, done too much, hurt too much . . . Lily had begun to fear that her new friend was really just in it to act like a drama queen and bully her. Now Lily understood that Ellie really was a good person, who did want to be her friend, but had been damaged and emotionally mutilated and twisted out of shape. Ellie was really just a sad, frightened little girl, who had been hurt too many times until she had been so badly damaged that anger and lashing out were the only way she knew how to make sense of the world and retain even a small amount of security. This grieved Lily in a way, and actually made her even more determined to be Ellie's friend. And not only would she be her friend, she would be the very best friend she could possibly be. Lily silently resolved that no matter how horribly Ellie treated her, and no matter how rude, or offensive, or ungrateful she was, to her Lily would always be her friend.

Eventually Lily found Ellie sitting on a park bench, reading a copy of _Dinosaurs of Utah_. When it became apparent that Ellie had no intentions of doing anything other than reading her copy of Dinosaurs of Utah and ignoring Lily, she decided to speak. "You know Ellie, I really am very sorry about what happened the other day. I hope you can forgive me for it."

Ellie responded with a simple "Hmm" as an answer and didn't even look up from the diagram of a Utah Raptor's hip bone.

"I really want to be your friend Ellie." Lily continued.

"That's interesting." Said Ellie, still intent on ignoring her friend. _At least she said something, even if it's only two words!_ Thought Lily.

Remembering Joel's words that Ellie might not be willing to forgive her right away, she decided that to continue right now would be pointless and possibly counterproductive. Consequently, Lily stood up and began to walk away, but before she got far she turned around and said, "Ellie if you don't want to forgive me, then don't. That's your prerogative. I won't force myself on you. But remember this; if you ever need a friend, I'm right here."

To Lily's surprise, before she could continue walking, Ellie said, "Lily, come back here." Lily walked over to the park bench and sat down again, and then Ellie continued, "Lily, look, I DO want to be your friend and I'll try to forgive you. Just give me some time. It's just something you said yesterday that brought back some pretty bad memories. Memories I've been trying to forget for the last year. I guess what I'm trying to say, if you'll still be my friend, I will still be yours."

"Of course I'll still be your friend Ellie. But if we're going to make this friendship work, then I think we need to set up a couple of ground rules."

"Like, what?" questioned Ellie.

"I will try harder not say things that you find hurtful, or offensive, but you will also try to be less hurt and offended if I slip up, and if I make a mistake you will tell me, so that I know for the future. Deal?" asked Lily.

"Deal." Ellie replied.

"Then can I ask you a question?" asked Lily.

"No." replied Ellie tersely.

Lily sighed. "Should I just leave?"

"Yes." Said Ellie shortly.


	5. The General

**_21/5/2035 5:44 PM_**

The aging General peered at the reports his scouts had brought him. "These say there are hunters occupying the west side of town." said General Scott Hoofman. "How many?" he asked, "and what's there armament?"

The scout considered before he said, " I personally saw around ten, but there are probably more like fifty. As you know, hunters like to use numbers to take down their prey. Their weapons are light, mostly pistols, 30 caliber rifles and some improvised melee weapons. Baseball bats, crowbars . . . The usual."

"Thank you, Sergeant. That will be all. Dismissed." The sergeant did a quick salute before she exited the tent. It would be best to send in Alpha Company, he decided quickly. They were freshly levied, and this fight proved to be a relatively easy one, that would put some experience under their belt, without getting them blown to bits.

It had been nearly twenty years since Scott Hoofman, and most of the Delta Force had mutinied. Scott had commanded the Delta Force for three years when CBI broke out. About eighteen months after the initial outbreak, Scott and many of his soldiers had become disgusted with the atrocities the military and the FEDRA regime were committing every day. Because of this, the General and his supporters officially declared that the Delta Force was no longer operating as part of the United States Army. Scott had been shocked when almost the entire Delta Force had followed him in this action. With a few exceptions, of course. Despite leaving the army, the Delta Force had continued to function as a military, or paramilitary organization. Impressively, the chain of command had remained unbroken for all these years, and in effect, they worked like any other military organization.

Over time they had begun to see it as their role to defend those in need. Those who couldn't protect or defend themselves or their families. Since then, Scott's brigade had grown to five brigades as both former soldiers and regular civilians joined him and his personal army. Some would say the General was a power hungry warlord and a tyrant. But his followers knew better. He was a warlord; there was no question about that. But he wasn't a tyrant. He loved his soldiers and the families they brought with them. And he loved America and all the people left in it. This is why he and his brigade had mutinied; to protect those who could not protect themselves, and defend the natural rights of every man, woman and child, in this evil, evil world. Hoofman was now seventy-five and was not actually in the fighting himself anymore but he still led his people. Eventually, his army had grown from one brigade to five, and his army had swelled to 12,250 soldiers. Only the First Brigade actually had the level of training of the Delta Force of old. The other four brigades fought like conventional forces. The first brigade did retain the training of the Delta though, both for symbolic reasons, but also because sometimes it was just useful to have a brigade of Special Operatives. In addition to the army, Scott led about 22,000 civilian followers. Most of which were either the families of his soldiers, or used to serve in his army, but no longer were able to due to either age or disability.

Scott grabbed his pipe, lit it and placed it in his mouth, inhaling the cherry scented smoke. Stepping out of his command center, which was little more than a glorified camping tent, he decided he would go get something to eat from the cooks. He had heard they were making pork roast tonight. Scott had fond memories of his grandmother making pork roast every Thanksgiving, when he was a boy. Walking through the camp, Scott marveled at what he and his brigade had accomplished in twenty years. He marveled at all the lives they had saved and all the good that they had done.

Scott and his army were marching west to the town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He had heard rumors several months earlier that the town of Jackson had been reestablished and now had a small but thriving population. He had heard it described as a safe haven. General Hoofman wanted to investigate these rumors for himself, and if they turned out to be true, he would offer to join with the people of Jackson, asking that the families of his soldiers could settle there or in the surrounding area, and that in return his army could offer protection for the people of Jackson, from hunters, infected, the United States Army etc.

Scott estimated it would take about fourteen months for his people to reach Jackson. By himself, or with just a few other people, he could do it in a few weeks but with over 34,250 people it would take much longer. Scott was eager to get there, and eager to ally himself and his army with the people of Jackson, which appeared to be the Final Refuge for Mankind.


End file.
